Adopted
by foxfire222
Summary: Peter meets one of his neighbors one day. And soon, she becomes more then that. She becomes the one thing that helps him heal inside more then anything else. What magic children can work, just by being children. Rated for child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Peter had been living in his new apartment for about 2 weeks before he first saw her. He had just gotten home from a pack meeting involving the Alpha Pack when someone knocked on his door. This was a big surprise to him because no one, not even Derek, knew where he lived. He stepped slowly up to the door and looked out the peep hole. It was strange because he could hear a heart beat but could see no one. While he was looking at the empty hall the knock came again and he realized it was coming from very low on the door. Whoever was on the other side was very short. His curiosity peeked he opened the door and looked down at his visitor. It was a small child, no older the seven. She had long brown hair that was slightly tangled at the edges and looked like it could use a good wash. Her skin was pale, so she clearly didn't get out much. Her feet were bare and slightly dirty, so she must have been outside without shoes at one point. The red dress she wore had no sleeves and was at least 2 sizes to big for her. And Peter could smell something chemical coming off of her that made him want to cover his nose. But over the chemical smell was the scent of freshly baked goods and she had a plate of cookies in her hand. She also had a bright smile that made her wide green eyes shine with delight. She held the cookies up in front of her and said in a cheery voice, "Hi new neighbor."

Peter just stared at the strange child before looking up and down the hall in search of parents. When he found none he looked back at the still smiling girl whose arms were starting to tremble slightly from holding the plate up. The cookies were slightly burned around the edges but otherwise looked fine so Peter reached out and took the plate before it could be dropped, "Thank you." he said with a small smile, "And which apartment do you live in?"

She beamed up at him and pointed to the door directly across the hall. Peter wasn't really surprised by this, because chemical smells were always coming from behind that door. Peter didn't really know what the smell was, but it always made his stomach turn. He suspected it was some kind of drug, crack or meth probably. The question was, what was a little girl doing living in a place that smelled like that, "Me and my mommy live in that one." and that answered the question

"I see." Peter frowned slightly, he couldn't hear a heartbeat coming from in there which meant the girl was alone and talking to a stranger, "And where is your...mommy?"

"She went out with her friends." The girl's smile dwindled slightly, "She does that a lot. But it's alright because she's a grown up and they like to go out."

Peter frowned again and nodded, "I'm sure some do." it was clear the mother had told her child this to get her to stop complaining. But if there was no adult, that meant that a small child had used and oven by herself and managed to bake cookies. That could only happen if the girl was used to being by herself a lot. Peter ignored the pain this thought caused to form in his chest, "What is your name?"

"I'm Emily Parker." she said, smile coming back as she held out her hand

Peter smirked as he knelt down, took her hand, and shook it gently, "I'm Peter Hale. And if you ever need anything, come see me alright. No matter what time of day it is. If I'm home, I promise to help you."

"Alright." Emily said before skipping back across the hall and opening the door. She waved at him once more, "Bye Peter." and then shut the door and locked it

Peter loved the cookies, they were chocolate chip. And over the next months Emily would bring him sweets whenever he was home. Sometimes he would come home to find something sitting outside his apartment door. In exchange he would make sandwiches, several at a time, and give them to her. In his opinion, she was much to thin. He regretted not being able to be around more often to talk to her but he had a pack of murderous Alphas to deal with so you couldn't really blame him. Not to mention the evil Druid that had appeared and seemed to be after everyone. It was the day after everything had been settled when it happened.

He was very happy about how everything had turned out. The Alphas were either dead or had fled. The evil Druid bitch was dead by his own hand. Everyone was trying to get back to some semblance of a normal life. And he felt more relaxed then he had in weeks. Though he had to admit that he may have lost it for a little bit after he killed the evil bitch. The power that had flowed from the newly restored Nemeton had gone to his head for a few hours. But he really was happy just being a Beta. He didn't want to be Alpha again, the power had driven him completely mad once it had latched onto his wolf. He doubted he would ever be able to control something like that with all the demons lurking inside of him.

He had just sat down to read a good book, hot tea sitting beside him, when it started. At first it was nothing noticeable, just a few bumps and bangs. Nothing unusual in an apartment building. But then the yelling started and the banging got louder. Peter looked up and tried to identify where the sound was coming from. He felt his blood freeze when he realized it was coming from Emily's apartment. He was on his feet in an instant when a high pitched shriek filled the air. Normally, to a human, the sound would be muffled by the walls. But Peter heard it clearly with his wolf hearing. Before he could even get his door open he heard another shriek following the sound of flesh hitting flesh and then the sound of soft crying. He was banging on the door instantly and suddenly all the noise stopped.

He heard quiet sobbing from inside the apartment and a sharp voice hissing, "Shut up you little brat or I'll give you something to really cry about." then the door was open

Before him stood the most fowl smelling woman he had ever encountered. Her hair was greasy, her face thin and skeletal, her eyes sunken into her head and dark bags under her eyes. He guessed she had once looked much like her daughter, but now she just looked a mess. She reeked of chemicals and alcohol and sex. It made his nose wrinkle and he had to stop his hand half way to his nose. He pretended not to be enraged but concerned and asked, "Is everything alright? I heard a lot of noise just now."

The woman gave a smile that showed off slightly rotted teeth and exposed Peter to breath that could have peeled paint off of walls, "Everything is just fine. Just my daughter playing a little to rough. I'll make sure she keeps it down."

Peter clenched his fists at his side, trying to keep himself under control, "I see. Well, I'll keep and ear out anyway. Never know with kids, she may need to go to the hospital if she hurts herself."

The woman went ridged at the mention of the hospital but her smile stayed in place, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." and then she slammed the door in his face.

He let out a growl and stayed there for a few minutes, just listening. The yelling didn't start up again but he could hear someone being dragged and a door being slammed, "Stay in there until you can stop being a crying little bitch." snapped the woman and the muffled sobbing became even more muffled

Peter really hoped she had been sent to her room, and not trapped in a closet or a cupboard. But he promised himself that the next time Emily was home alone, he was going to speak to her. If nothing else, he could convince her to stay with him. He was sure it wouldn't be to hard and he doubted Emily's mother would even notice a missing daughter. He waited for the rest of the day, sure she would leave before dark to do drug slut related things. And he was right. Just as the sun was starting to set the door across the hall open and shut and within a minute the woman was out of the building.

Instantly Peter was across the hall and trying the door. He wasn't to surprised to find it unlocked, but what he found when he opened the door made him growl. The place was a filthy mess. There were take out boxes and containers everywhere with different stages of mold growing in and around them. Dirty dishes and glasses were scattered around as well as several different alcohol bottles. The whole place smelled like drugs, sex, and sadness. He could still smell tears and followed them. His worst fears were confirmed when he entered a filthy bedroom and found himself following the scent to a closet door. A closet door with a padlock on it. He could also smell urine from inside, and it was fresh. Emily's mother hadn't even let her out to use the bathroom.

He ripped the padlock in half with his bare hands and yanked the closet doors open. Emily was pushed back against the wall, silent tears falling from fear filled eyes. Peter knelt down so she could see him around the hanging clothing she was hiding behind, "Emily, sweetheart, you can come out now."

She let out a choked sob and ran into Peter's spread arms. Her thin little arms latched around his neck and her tears fell onto his shoulder as she just started to cry. He shushed her and rubbed her back as he stood and left the apartment, "It's alright now Emily. I'll never let her touch you again. I promise, no one is going to hurt you anymore." he just kept talking to her as he went to his own apartment. He took her to the bathroom and started filling up the bathtub to clean off the urine and dirt, Emily still latched to his neck, "We need to clean you off Emily." he said softly, "Do you want some help or do you want me to leave you alone?"

Emily stiffened before holding on tighter, "Don't go." she whispered brokenly

Peter nodded and gently got her to let go so he could slide off her dress. He was astonished to see the bruises the dress had covered. There were several of different sizes and states of healing. Her underwear was clearly dirty but he doubted she had many different pairs. He gently lowered her into the hot water and started to wash her. He was slow and light with his touches, trying his best not to hurt or startle her. He had her wash her own lower region, for her sanity as well as his own. He was just glad he didn't smell any sex on her and held out hope that no one had ever touched her. After about an hour, when the water was no longer hot, Emily was clean and the water murky with dirt.

Peter toweled her dry before wrapping a blanket he had brought from the living room around her. He sat her on the couch and said, "I have to go away for a few minutes. I promise, I'm just getting things from your house." he stroked his fingers through her wet hair, "Will you be alright?"

Emily gave a determined look and bit her bottom lip when it wobbled, "As long as you come right back." she whispered

Peter gave her a sad smile and stroked her cheek, "Of course Emily. I would never leave you for very long." he rushed out of the room and back into the filthy apartment. He didn't really find anything that could be called Emily's room. But he did find a corner in the main living space that had a pile of blankets and a few dresses and things. He noticed that there were no toys and he hoped to soon fix that. He was saddened to see that none of the clothing was any cleaner then what Emily had been wearing before. Also, they were all either to big or small for the little girl. He let out a growl before grabbing everything and leaving, shutting the door tight behind him. He rushed back into the living room of his own apartment and Emily gave him a shaky smile which he returned.

He frowned down at the clothing in his hand and sighed, "Looks like I have some washing to do Emily. Can't have you wearing these awful things." he turned on the television and showed her how to work the remote, "Now, you pick something to watch while I go downstairs and get this laundry started. I promise to be back in 5 minutes." and then he rushed off with a bag filled with little girls clothing and a pocket filled with quarters. Once everything was washing he rushed back up to join Emily in watching cartoons for the next hour before going back downstairs to put the clothing in the dryer.

Once he had Emily dressed in clean clothing he smiled, "There, so much better." he took out a brush and started on her now dry hair. Once it was brushed out he braided it down the back. Then he had her spin around to show off her clean dress and hair. She was giggling the whole time, clearly happy to be clean, "Now, how about I make us some soup." her smile doubled in size and she nodded eagerly. Peter was sure she must be half starved and decided to keep it simple for a few days before moving onto more solid food.

While he made lunch he thought about all the things he would need now. The first thing was to get her some proper clothing. But he couldn't take her outside the way she was now, without even a pair of shoes. So he decided to order everything online, as well as several toys and books. He was sure she had never even been to school and wondered if she even knew how to read. And then he really thinks about what he has just done and it hits him that he only has a small idea about what he's doing. He knows how to care for a child, after all, he grew up in a house filled with them. But he doesn't know what he's going to do if anyone starts asking questions. He can't leave her alone like her mother, but he can't bring her with him if he goes to a pack meeting. They might think he had kidnapped her or bought her on some sort of slave market. He really couldn't blame them for thinking he was evil, but it wasn't true. Peter wasn't evil, he was just a bit of an asshole.

Once he had finished making soup he rejoined Emily in the living room and shortly after the little girl had eaten she fell asleep in Peter's lap. And at that moment, looking down at the sleeping girl, he decided he would have to make it work. Because he was never letting this little treasure go.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next week Peter got Emily situated in his place. He had given her his spare bedroom and gotten several different shoes, shirts, pants, dresses, and toys shipped express to him. He had loved watching her put on a mini fashion show with all her new clothing and got joy watching her play with her toys for hours. Turned out she could read, she had taught herself with nothing else to do in her old house. And just like Peter had thought, Emily's mother hadn't even noticed her daughter was missing. Luckily, none of the pack had needed him. This didn't' surprise him either, because they all thought of him as a necessary nuisance, only good for obscure knowledge regarding the creature of the month.

So he had spent all his time in his apartment and bonding with Emily. He was just making some lunch in the kitchen when he heard a loud crash from the living room, a scream from Emily, and the smell of blood. He rushed forward, eyes glowing blue and claws out, prepared to defend her. He was surprised to see a vase smashed on the ground and Emily holding her arm as it bled. She looked up at him and her face was the picture of fear. She gasped and backed up into the wall at the sight of Peter in his wolfed out state. Peter quickly returned to normal and sat down on the floor. He was afraid if he was on his feet Emily would think he was going to come after her. He hoped she wouldn't be afraid of him forever now that she had seen what looked like a monster.

"Emily, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." he said calmly to the whimpering girl, "I just got a bit excited, I thought you were in danger. I would never hurt you, I hope you know that." he pointed to her arm, "Come over here so I can get a look at that. Please sweetheart, just let me look at it."

After several minutes of silence Emily slowly started to walk over to him. She would stop every now and then and look at him critically. Peter would just give a gentle smile and motion for her to keep coming. Once she was withing reach he checked her arm. The cut was long, but not deep. He was relieved to see it would not need stitches. He picked her up into his arms and said, "Let's get that cleaned off Emily."

Emily did nothing but whimper as Peter took her into the bathroom and used his first aid kit to clean and wrap the cut. When he was done he noticed she was still trembling and smelled like fear. He was afraid to ask the question in his mind but he knew he needed to, even if he feared the answer, "Emily, why are you afraid?"

To his surprise, she said nothing about glowing eyes or sharp claws. She said, "Am I going to be punished?" the words hardly even a whisper

"What?" Peter asked in shock before he remembered the broken vase, "Oh, Emily, is this about the vase? I'm not angry about that. I'm just upset that you got hurt. Your really need to be more careful pup." he ran his fingers through her hair in a soothing manner as he smiled at her, "Now, how about we dry those tears and eat some lunch. After that you can help me clean up the mess."

Emily looked hesitant but nodded. It was clear she was waiting for something bad to happen, but Peter tried to ignore that. He carried her into the kitchen and set her down at the small table, a sandwich before her. While she was eating he decided to get her mind off of things, "So, did I scare you with my monster face?"

Emily looked interested now and shook her head, "No, I just thought you were angry. Angry is scary."

Peter chuckled and tried not to let those words drown him in sadness, "Do you want to know how I did it?" she nodded slowly as she took a bite of her lunch, "I'm a werewolf." he said and let his eyes flash

When his eyes flashed she gasped and then giggled slightly when he pulled a growling face that was more funny the scary, "Whats that Peter? Is it bad?"

And so Peter spent the next few hours telling her about werewolves and pack and all sorts of other things. That night, as he was tucking her into her bed, she asked, "Peter, am I pack?"

Peter beamed and kissed her forehead, "Oh pup, of course. Your my little wolf cub." he ruffled her hair and turned on the nightlight before going for the door, "Sleep well and dream of better things Emily."

The peace couldn't last, he knew that. But he had hoped to enjoy it a bit longer. The next morning, while having breakfast and watching cartoons with Emily, he got a phone call. He muted the TV and gave Emily a signal to be silent as he answered it, "Derek, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Something attacked Isaac last night when he went out running. He got bitten and it's doing something to him. No one can find Deaton, your the only other one who might know what to do." Derek sounded slightly panicked so Peter wasted no time before agreeing to be over at once

Once he hung up he looked at Emily. He got down on his knees and hugged her close, "I have to leave for a little bit Emily. But I swear I will be back before dark. There are some snacks in the fridge, don't use the oven. Don't answer the door if anyone knocks. I promise, I'll be back."

Emily pulled away and touched his cheek and gave him a smile, "I know you will, your not like mommy. You care about me. I'll be good, promise." she held out her pinkie and Peter chuckled before linking his with her's

He was across town in record time, needing to get this all over with quickly so he could return to Emily. It was only as he burst into the loft that he really remembered why he had been called and all thoughts of Emily were taken from his mind. The loft smelt of blood and some kind of putrid rot. He followed the smell to Derek's bed and was met with a painful sight. Isaac was spread out on the bed, his shirt missing, and covered in blood. A nasty looking bite was on his left shoulder, the wound purple and surrounded by black veins. Whatever had bitten the poor boy was poisonous and that poison was preventing Isaac from healing. Derek was standing over him, hands on the boy and trying to take away pain. After a few seconds Peter sent Derek to get a few things from the supernatural first aid kit that had been given to them by Deaton. While Derek was fetching what he needed he went to Isaac's side and ran his fingers through the boy's sweat drenched hair.

"Isaac, pup, I need you to open your eyes. Please Isaac, I need to talk to you." Peter said softly, like he talked to Emily from time to time

Isaac's eyes opened and they shone with pain, "Peter?" his voice was distant, as if he couldn't even see or understand what was going on

"Yes pup, it's me. I need you to tell me what happened. What bit you?" Peter could tell the boy wouldn't last to long if he didn't treat him soon, he really hoped Derek hurried

Isaac took a few shaky breaths before saying a few words, "Big. Red. Sulfur. Death." and then the boy's eyes closed and he was out cold

Peter swore as he thought through all the creatures he knew. He could only come up with one and shouted at Derek who was starting to come back, "Forget everything I asked for. I need Holy Water and salt right now. Hurry Derek, we don't have long."

After a few crashes and bangs Derek returned with the supplies. Peter quickly doused the wound in holy water and had Derek hold Isaac down when the water caused the wound to smoke and Isaac thrashed in pain. Isaac started screaming when Peter pushed the salt into the open wound and started chanting in Latin. The smoke grew thicker but the purple started to fade from the wound. Soon, a dark green ooze started to seep out of the wound, pushing the salt out with it. Every few seconds Peter would add a few more drops of Holy Water. After half an hour the wound was gone and Isaac was passed out from the pain. Derek and Peter went to the main area and sat down on the couch, emotionally drained from the whole ordeal.

"What the hell bit him Peter?" Derek asked from his position at one end of the couch, staring at the ceiling

"Hell Hound. Nasty bastards, that's for sure. We need to get some blessed iron and pierce the thing's heart with it. And we need to do it soon. Hell Hounds love to hunt and kill as much as any monster." Peter said in a strained voice. His throat was dry from all the chanting he had been doing none stop for the past half hour.

"Right. I'll call the Argents. They probably have some bullets we can use." Derek took a deep breath, clearly trying to relax himself, but he froze half way through it and turned sharply to look at Peter, "Why do you smell like that?"

Peter stiffened and he suddenly remembered Emily, and how often they touched, and how just that morning he had been pressed up next to her on his couch, "What smell?" he asked, not really lying or denying anything

"You smell like...like you've been around kids." Derek sat up straighter, "Why do you smell like kids Peter?"

Peter quickly got to his feet and headed for the door, "Call me if you need anything else. I have other things to do today." and he fled, ignoring Derek calling after him

He rushed across town, leaving a few false trails just in case Derek decided to follow him. That was unlikely with a wounded Isaac to watch over, but better safe then sorry. Once he got back to his apartment building he realized his hands were still covered in Isaac's blood. He shoved them into his pockets before rushing up to his apartment. As soon as he entered his apartment and had the door shut there was a small girl attached to his leg. She snuggled into his thigh and said, "I knew you'd come back."

Peter wanted so badly to hug her, but he knew he would scare her if she saw the blood, "Just give me a second Emily, I need to use the bathroom." he rushed away and into the bathroom. He started scrubbing the blood off his arms and hands and was so focused he didn't hear the bathroom door open. But he did hear the scared squeal and turned to see Emily staring at his bloody hands in horror

Before Peter could speak Emily had dashed to her room and locked the door. He could have easily broken down the door but he knew that wouldn't help anything. So he finished cleaning off his hands before going to sit by her door. He can hear her little heart beating like crazy and he can smell her silent tears. He can't imagine what she must think of him right now. He waits until her heart slows slightly before he speaks through the door.

"Emily, it's not bad, I promise. I got that blood on me from helping someone. Please understand, I was helping. A member of my pack was attacked, I was healing him." Peter knows he sounds desperate. But it's only because he doesn't want Emily to look at him like the others do most of the time, like hes a monster.

There are a few shuffling sounds and her heartbeat gets closer until he can feel her on the other side of the door, "You were just helping?" her voice is scared and hopeful all at once and it breaks Peter's heart

"I swear Emily, I will never hurt anyone again if I can help it. If that is what it takes to get you to come out and talk to me, I swear." Peter stays seated when the door opens and her green eyes look at him seriously as she holds out her hand, pinkie extended. He laughs a little and connects their pinkies. It's a promise that Peter will never break.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter wasn't to surprised when he started getting text messages from Derek. He ignored every question about his scent for days. The only thing he did was take care of Emily and try to teach her as much as he could without ruining what was left of her innocence after living with her mother. A mother who still didn't seem to notice she was missing, or just didn't care. He would take Emily outside to play when he was sure her mother wouldn't come by. Just because she was a bad mom didn't mean she wouldn't call the police on him. After all, in her eyes he had probably kidnapped her punching bag. And if she reported him there would be all sorts of accusations, most of which made him sick just to think about. He could only dream what Derek and the others would say, given his history. A history he planed to hide from Emily as long as he could. He had already almost lost her due to bloody hands. He didn't even want to know how badly she would react to him killing half a dozen people, no matter what the reason.

So he tried to enjoy it for as long as he could. The feeling that he was helping, that he was healing a young girl who really needed it. He felt that she was healing him as much as he was healing her. He had forgotten what it was like to take care of a child who relied on you. He had forgotten for almost a decade now. And he realized that was what he missed most. He may have been a bit of an asshole, but that didn't mean he had no heart. Children had always been his weak point, and it somehow felt nice to have one of those again.

So he was surprised when he got a text from Stiles, telling him to forget Derek's questions and come help him with research on Hell Hounds. He had considered accepting but simply said he would email everything he had and offered to help when the situation reached a head. Just in case it was some sort of stupid trap set up by his nephew. Stiles had simply thanked him and told him an email address to send the information to.

The next time Peter was at the super market he ran into someone he really didn't want to. Chris Argent met him in the cereal isle. Both of them refused to leave, stubborn as they were. They just decided to ignore each other. Or at least, they did until Peter picked up a box of Raisin Bran as well as a box of Kix. Chris had given him a raised eyebrow at the obvious choice of kid's cereal.

"I used to buy that for Allison when she was a kid. It's good for them, according to the box." Chris said, not looking at Peter

"Is that so?" Peter asked as he began to examine a shelf full of chocolate cereal. It had become common practice for him to reward her for doing well in her math lessons. He had bought a few work books and was trying to teach her. Every time she finished without mistakes he would make her a bowl of chocolate cereal. It worked wonders and the very thought brought a smile to his face that he tried to hide but it was clear Chris had seen it because of the look on his face

"Derek mentioned he smelled at least one kid on you last week. Any reason your buying kids cereal Peter?" the tone was neutral, but his eyes spoke volumes

Peter grabbed a box of chocolate pebbles and snorted, "I'm sure I don't know what your talking about. I just happen to like these, nothing wrong with a little variety."

Chris snorted then, "And I'm sure the Lunchables are also your favorite snack." he pointed to the kid's meals in the cart

Peter just maintained his smirk and said, "A man has to have a few simple pleasures in life." before quickly checking out and racing home to snuggle with Emily while watching Spongebob on TV. He knew, eventually, someone would find her. He couldn't hide her forever. And that's when he got a great idea. What if he didn't hide her. What if he introduced her to them as pack. He would prep her and everything. It would be perfect. Someone might bring up his past, but he was sure Emily would understand now after he had told her everything about Alpha power driving people mad. He had taught her much in preparation for joining the pack. And it looked like if he didn't introduce her soon, someone was going to force the issue.

So he turned to her and asked, "Emily, how would you like to meet the rest of the pack?"

She turned to him in joyous shock, hope shining in her eyes, "Really Peter, you mean it?"

Peter just chuckled, "Of course I mean it. I wouldn't tease you sweetheart." he ruffled her hair and snuggled her tighter, "It might be hard for them to accept that I'm the one who found you though. I've done some things in the past that paint me as the bad guy. But remember what I promised?"

"You won't hurt anyone unless you have to." Emily said firmly

"That's right pup. And I will never break that. Just be aware, I've hurt people before. I have a few things to tell you. And if you take them well, I'll introduce you to the pack tonight." Peter felt his chest start to hurt, worrying that he would soon loose the one thing that was now helping him heal

He spent several hours explaining hunters, what had happened to the Hale family, his coma, and what he had done when he had woken up. At first, she had been a bit afraid, but she had never stopped touching him. When he was done she had taken his head in her hands and looked him straight in the eye and said, "I understand." they were the two most perfect words the wolf had ever heard and for the first time in years, he cried. He cried as he clung to a seven year old girl who did nothing but stroke his hair and tell him everything would be alright.

Later that night, Peter sent out a mass text to everyone who was associated with the pack, except Deaton because he was out of town. He had received several questioning texts in return but ignored them all. He knew they would all show up just to see what he was so worked up about. After all, he had never requested a pack meeting before. He was hoping it would all turn out alright. If he lost Emily, he wasn't sure how he would cope.

That night he got her all dressed up. He figured a nice red dress with a hood, something he had ordered special, would have a nice effect on everyone. She had giggled at him and said she was Little Red and he was the Big Bad Wolf. He had laughed and chased her around the apartment for an hour the first time she said that, claiming he was going to gobble her up. He matched it with red shoes and braided her hair with red ribbons. He walked all the way to Derek's loft, Emily riding piggy back. He made sure to show up 10 minutes after he had set the meeting time, just to make sure everyone was there. He was only going to explain this once.

When he got to the loft door, he paused. He only opened the door after Emily had given his hand a tight squeeze from where she stood beside him. He opened the door and stepped inside, all eyes turning to him. And it was indeed everyone, from the Sheriff to Allison Argent. And they all stared wide eyed as Emily took one look around, smiled, and ran up to Derek and hugged his leg while saying, "Hi Uncle Derek."

Peter just laughed. He had shown her several pictures of the pack, so she would be less afraid. He knew she was desperate for a family, so this action didn't surprised him. But the look of utter shock on Derek's face was worth all the questions he was about to be bombarded with, "Emily, manners. They don't know who you are. We talked about this. What is the rule?"

She suddenly looked worried and rushed back to his side, "I forgot, I was just so excited. The rule is not to touch wolves before they know who you are or they might react badly." she stated it as if reading it from a text book

Peter reached down and patted her head, "That's my girl." and she beamed up at him. He turned to face the room that now smelled like a mix of shock, confusion, and anger, "Everyone, this is Emily Parker, my new ward and the latest pack member. Emily, this is the pack. They might be a bit strange, but don't hold that against them."

Emily nodded again and waved at all the shocked face, "Hi."

The Sheriff was the first to react, "Emily Parker, is that what you said. I got a missing persons report this afternoon about her. I was gonna check with the neighbors tomorrow morning." he stepped forward swiftly, reaching for his gun, "What did you do?"

Emily squeaked and hid behind Peter's legs, causing everyone to freeze once more when Peter's eyes flashed and he growled, "She has been in my care for over a month now. Her mother is a druggy slut who probably doesn't even know her daughter's name." he reached back and put a comforting hand on Emily's head, "If you even think of taking her I will not hesitate to fight you. I promised her she would never go back, and I intend to keep that promise."

"I don't' want to go back." Emily said from behind him, "Mommy was mean, Peter is nice. He feeds me, and bought me toys and clothes." she peeked out from behind his legs, clearly afraid but stubborn to make her point, "He's teaching me numbers." she stepped out from behind him, trembling with fear but with a back bone of steel, "He says I'm pack. I'm the cub, he said."

Derek's eyes went wide with surprise and he took a step forward before stopping. There was clear hope in his eyes, clearly remembering how he used to babysit his little cousins, "Peter, what is this?"

"It's what I like to call pack adoption." Peter said with a slight smile before looking sternly at the uncertain looking Sheriff, "Search Emily's old home before you do anything else. The place is a sty and no place for a child. She was locked in a closet for hours and didn't have any toys. She was beaten and starved. I saved her. And if you take her from me, I will not be responsible for my actions."

At the mention of the closet Isaac flinched and took a step forward. Emily looked right at him and instantly a connection was made. They could see common ground in each others eyes. Emily smiled timidly in an exact copy of Isaac and said, "Peter, I like him." she pointed at Isaac who smiled

Peter nodded, "Why don't you and Isaac play in the hall while the adults talk. I'm sure you two will get along great Little Red." he teased her as he pulled the dress's hood down over her eyes, making her giggle

Isaac took this as a cue to make his eyes glow and give a playful growl. Emily giggled and ran away in mock fear. Isaac chased her out into the hall and Peter closed the door behind them. He turned to the room at large and said, "Alright, who has the first questions?" And then the room erupted in shouted questions and Peter let out a sigh. It was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

Out in the hallway Isaac was having a ball. He had instantly recognized a kindred spirit in Emily. A healing child who had suffered when there was no cause. He chased her for a few minutes, ignoring the yelling his wolf ears could hear. He knew Peter was supposed to be the bad guy, but his scent was all over the little girl. She smelled of happiness and healing, much like he had when Derek had taken him in at first. He wanted to protect her, already knowing she was pack

After he was done pretending to be the big bad wolf he had asked if she knew any other games. He was surprised and secretly delighted when she offered to teach him some clapping games. He was shocked when she said that Peter had taught them to her. They spent a few minutes playing the claping games before he said quietly, "My dad used to lock me in a freezer."

She paused only for a few moments before continuing the clapping game, "Did Peter save you to?"

"No. Until a week ago I thought he didn't even care about me." Isaac admitted

Emily put her hands down and looked at him seriously, "He came home with blood on his hands a week ago. Was that you?"

Isaac flinched but nodded. Clearly Emily was smarter then he had given her credit for, "He saved my life."

She nodded and smiled, "He told me. He wants to protect the pack, no matter what they think of him."

Isaac's eyes widened, "He told you what he did?"

Emily nodded, looking down at her lap sadly, "Yes, and it made me so sad and angry. What pack means, what he taught me, I'm not scared. I would have done the same, I think."

That statement made Isaac feel cold inside. But he had to admit, he probably would have done the same to. After having just a taste of pack, he couldn't imagine giving that up. And to think of Peter, who had had that his whole life and then had it ripped violently away like that, if filled him with sadness. He looked up when he felt a small hand touch his knee. He looked into her eyes and saw that she understood the same way he did. They had both longed for a loving family for so long, and treasured the feeling they had been given with pack. And even if Emily had only know Peter as her pack so far, he was sure she still knew what it meant. He gave her a wide smile and said, "I'm glad your pack Emily. I promise to protect you."

She smiled back, "Me to." and she held out her pinkie

Isaac laughed but took the pinkie. He felt this was the most important promise he would ever make. They spent the next half hour playing clapping games before they were joined in the hallway by Derek.

Derek approached them, his face blank. He knelt down by Emily and gave a hesitant smile, "Hi, Emily. I'm Derek, but I guess you already knew that."

Emily smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Peter has lots of pictures of all of you on his phone."

This revelation caused both Isaac and Derek to show shock. When had Peter taken pictures of them, "He has pictures of us?" Derek asked

Emily nodded, "Oh yeah, lots. He says it's important to have pictures of family, in case something happens." her face became sad again, "Like what happened to your family." she grabbed Derek's leg in a hug with blinding speed, "I'll be your new family Uncle Derek. I'll try my best, I promise."

Derek felt his heart melt and all the questions he had been sent out here to ask escaped his mind. He knelt down and pulled Emily into a better hug, "I'll try my best to." and then Derek was gone and Emily dragged Isaac back into her clapping games

When Derek reentered the loft all the wolves looked like they had melted. Derek figured little girls had that effect on most people. And to a wolf pack, a child declaring pack was like kryptonite. He had discovered this when he was young with several of his human relatives. The human adults and teens looked confused at the wolves but still wary of Peter. Peter had moved to the couch and was looking expectantly at Derek.

Derek took a deep breath and said, "She is protected now, no doubt about it. And I doubt Peter has touched her farther then hugging her to death. His scent is all over her in the pack mentality sort of way."

Peter huffed, "I told you." he glared at Stiles for a second, "I may act like a creeper at times, as you like to put it, but I would never hurt a child. Especially one who need my help like she did. Her soul was crying out to be saved." he stood, "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's almost Emily's bed time and she has homework to do in the morning." he left without another word. Shortly after Isaac returned to the room, a huge smile on his face

He raced over to Scott, the only Alpha in the room, "Scott, she's amazing. She's so smart and cute and nice." he looked around the room hopefully, "Please say we're keeping her." and out came the deadly puppy eyes

Peter took Emily home, read her a bedtime story, and stayed in her room until she fell asleep. He wondered if introducing her to the pack was really the right thing to do. And then he remembered Isaac's face and how Derek had looked after coming back from talking to her. And he knew, even if they took her from him, that he would always be near her. She was pack, accepted pack. Even if she moved in with someone else, he would always know she was safe, she would be with pack. And no matter what, he would have to live with that.

He sat on his couch all night, thinking about everything he had done with Emily over the last month. He looked at the pictures he had taken on his phone. Emily laughing and modeling her new clothing. Emily doing her school work, face screwed up in concentration with her tongue sticking out. Emily playing in the backyard of the apartment complex, swinging on a swing-set that was set up for kids. Emily sleeping in her then new Disney princess sheets. He fought back tears at the thought of her being taken away. And before he knew it the sun was rising and someone was knocking on his door softly.

He rushed to open the door, not wanting to wake Emily after her late night. He wasn't really surprised when he was met with Sheriff Stilinski and his heart sank, "Are you here to take her away?" he ignored how broken he sounded

He was appreciative when Stilinski ignored it to, keeping a stern Sheriff's face, "No, I'm here to follow up on a complaint of child abuse. You were the one who reported it right?" he raised a conspiratorial eyebrow

Peter felt his heart swell with hope and he smiled, "Of course, I remember now." he pointed across the hall, "I took in a child last night who I assumed was being abused. She lives across the hall from me but she's sleeping right now."

Stilinski nodded, "Well, let's take a look." he turned to the other door and Peter followed him. Stilinski knocked on the door and called out, "Beacon Hills Police, open up."

Peter could hear the single heart beat from inside get faster and someone try and muffle their breathing. He looked at Stilinski and whispered, "I can hear her, she's in there trying to hide."

Stilinski nodded and knocked harder, "I know your in there Miss. Parker. It's about your daughter."

Suddenly there was a lot of shuffling and the door was ripped open. She looked the same as Peter remembered, skeletal and hung over, "Did you find my baby?" she sounded more angry then hopeful, and then she spotted Peter, "You, I know you."

"I'm sure you do. He's your neighbor from across the hall. We got a call of child abuse last night right before you reported your daughter missing." Stilinski said, "Can you explain that?"

"That is impossible. She hasn't even been here in..." the woman stopped, clearly seeing the error in what she was about to say before correcting, "She was quiet all last night. What was the call about?"

"It seems hard for me to believe that ma'am. Seeing as Mr. Hale claims he has been watching over your daughter since last night." Stilinski was being subtle, trying to get her to admit to something. Peter didn't doubt it would be easy to do, she had killed to many brain cells with drugs

The woman suddenly turned murderous looking and lunged at Peter, long fingernails first, "You took her."

Stilinski held her back but Peter didn't even move, "Ma'am, I need you to calm down. Your child is safe but I need to search your apartment. Mr. Hale claims he took the child for her own safety and I need to confirm this."

"He is a lying bastard." she screeched as she kept trying to get to him

"Ma'am, if you don't calm down I'm going to need to restrain you." Stilinski said as he pushed the woman into her apartment, following her as he pushed. Peter followed as well and motioned to the bedroom

"I found her in there. I followed the sound of crying." Peter watched as the woman was handcuffed to her heating unit in an attempt to keep her from attacking him. Both he and the Sheriff knew it was more for the woman's safety then his own. If she came at him, he would defend himself in order to protect Emily.

They both ignored the sound of Miss. Parker screaming and Stilinski followed Peter into the single bedroom. Peter pointed at the closet. The broken lock was still handing off the door handles. The floor of the closet was stained with urine and a bit of blood here and there. Stilinski froze at the sight and Peter could smell the rage and disgust that was coming off the man in waves. He turned to Peter, "She had no room, toys?"

Peter shook his head, "She didn't even have any clean clothing. It's a miracle she survived as long as she did. She had been locked in there and had peed herself by the time I got to her. That was over a month ago." his eyes flashed at the memory

Stilinski took a deep breath and returned to the living room. Miss Parker had worn herself out and just glared hatefully at the both of them. Stilinski knelt down inf front of where she had sat herself on the floor, "Where is your daughter's room?" the woman looked away and didn't answer, "Where is it?"

Peter cleared his throat and pointed at a pile of blankets in the corner of the room once the Sheriff's eyes were on him, "I found her clothing there when I rescued her."

"You mean when you kidnapped her." Miss Parker hissed, "Lord only knows what sorts of sick things you did to her you pervert."

Pater snapped and took a step toward the woman. If not for a firm hand on his shoulder, provided by Mr. Stilinski, he might have shifted and attacked, "I'm the one who did sick things to her? Me? I'm not the one who left her alone for days at a time. I'm not the one who locked her in a closet and left her there. I'm not the one who hit her and called her names and never washed her cloths. I'm the one who showed up and broke her out of that damn closet a month ago. And your the one who only just last night reported it to the police. What, did you miss your punching bag? Did you miss the little girl who would bring you aspirin and cook you dinner? Did you miss the little girl who cried out for help every time you beat her and yet still called you mommy?" he couldn't take it anymore. He knew if he stayed a second longer he would tear the woman into bloody strips, Sheriff or no. So he fled the apartment and returned to his own. He was shocked to find Emily standing there, a stuffed rabbit hugged to her chest, tears on her cheeks. He went to her and held her close, her own small arms clinging to him, "It's alright Emily. It's alright. I'm sorry I woke you, sorry I scared you."

He held her trembling form as he listened to the screaming that the whole building could probably hear. He held her as he heard the Sheriff drag the evil woman kicking and screaming from the building. He held her as he heard the police sirens turn on outside and the patrol car drive away. He just held onto her tightly, and she to him, and they both prayed to never see that woman again. Emily prayed to never see her again because the woman had caused her so much pain. And that would be how Emily would think of her from now on, as only _The Woman_. And Peter hoped to never see her again because he was sure he would break his promise to only fight in defense and tear the vial woman limb from limb, slowly and over a period of several hours.


	5. Chapter 5

After such a horrible morning Peter decided it was time for a bit of pack bonding. And since it was Saturday all the pack would be able to come. But what he really wanted was for Derek to get to know Emily. It was clear he was already becoming attached, and Isaac was already wrapped around her little finger. That had been easy to see when he had gone into the hall to get Emily. They looked like brother and sister, sitting there and playing clapping games. It had given him such hope for how this whole thing would turn out.

So he texted Derek and after getting the go ahead got Emily ready for the day. They were going to the preserve, to a picnic space on the edge. Peter had made plenty of sandwiches and even some egg salad just the way he knew Derek liked it. Once the afternoon rolled around Peter and Emily left the apartment and headed off on foot, Emily on his back the whole way. The sun shown down on them the whole way, not a cloud in the sky.

Once they got to the park area Peter knew it was going to be a wonderful day. The teens had brought lots of sports equipments and all kinds of food of their own. As soon as Peter put Emily down Isaac was at her side, leading her off to play with the others. Peter watched as Lydia knelt down and held out her hand for Emily to shake. He had been worried about Lydia's reaction to the whole thing, their history being what it was. But he was glad to see she could put her feelings about him aside to get to know the little girl.

Derek came to stand next to him and said, "Stilinski called from the station. Emily's mother is going away for a long time. He prevented social services from taking Emily right away, saying she was staying with a trusted neighbor."

Peter snorted, "Interesting choice of words. I was under the impression that none of you would trust me to do anything, much less care for a child."

"You'd be right, except she's happy. Your teaching her things and giving her affection, just like I did with Isaac before everything went to shit." Derek sighed, "I think this will be good for you."

"Good for everyone Derek. We all need a bit of healing after everything these last two years. Children are very good at understanding things better then adults, not complicating things with to much thought. The things she has said to me when we talk..." Peter didn't really know how to explain it

"It's alright, Isaac told me the same thing." Derek smiles as he watches Isaac teach Emily how to use a lacrosse stick, "I think your right, this will be a good thing." he clapped Peter on the shoulder, "You did a good thing Peter." he gave a mocking smile, "So proud of you."

Peter snorted again and pushed Derek away with his shoulder, "So now you make jokes." he sighs and rolls his eyes, "Maybe I should have left you to brood."

Before Derek can reply to that Emily comes running up and hugs Derek's legs, "Uncle Derek." she says happily, "We made egg salad, I helped. Peter says you really like it." her bright smile shines brighter then the sun and Peter watches as Derek smiles

Derek reaches down, picked Emily up and put her up on his shoulders, "Oh you did did you?" he shot Peter a fond look, one Peter hadn't see for so many years, "Well, lets go see how good a job you did." and Derek is running off with Emily giggling on his shoulders

"It's so bizarre."

Peter had been so distracted by watching Emily and Derek that he hadn't heard anyone come up behind him. He jumped and let out a noise he would deny making until the day after he died. He turned to see that none other then Stiles, the clumsy nut who made to much noise, was the one to sneak up on him, "What do you mean?"

Stiles, thankfully, didn't mention the unmanly sound Peter had made and just pointed around at everything, "All of this, it's weird. Just a few weeks ago we were fighting for our lives and now..." he looked around again, "It's like a family picnic out here. Everyone laughing, eating, telling stories. It's so normal that it actually makes me uncomfortable."

And it's then that Peter takes a good look at Stiles. The boy looks tired, dark circles under his eyes. And while that was normal when fighting the bad guy, they had been at peace for weeks. Peter thought of all the things Stiles, a mere human who had be thrust into all of this, had been through. Allison was of hunter blood, Lydia had never really been normal, and the rest were werewolves. But Stiles was simply Stiles and nothing more. He had given more then everyone else and just held on tight for the ride. It had to take a tole on a person's mind. Maybe Peter could use Emily to help Stiles to.

Peter smiled genuinely at Stiles and chuckled, "You may have a point there. This isn't something that you've had a chance to experience yet. Let me tell you something very important." he pointed around, much like Stiles had, "This used to be the Hale house every second Tuesday of the month. Family from out of town, friends who knew our secret, they would all gather on this spot. We would cook, run in the woods, tell stories, all the usual family things. All this running around and fighting the things in the dark, that wasn't so much a part of it back then. Back before the fire, everything was just like this. A family with it's own problems and drama but also time for fun and play just like every other family. And now, we can try and get back to being like that."

Stiles seemed to deflate slightly, "That would be nice. I haven't really had a chance to stop and breath for two years. It'll be nice to do that."

Peter gave a sad smile, "Stiles, if you ever need to talk about anything, just know you aren't the only one who gets nightmares."

Stiles just stared at him for several moments before letting out a laugh, "Fatherhood is a good look for you Peter." and then he was going off to join the others where they were lighting a grill someone had brought. The sandwiches Peter had made were already gone and Derek had the entire bowl of egg salad on his lap, refusing to let anyone other then Emily eat any of it.

Peter just laughed for lack of a better reaction to the situation. That boy really was something, he always knew that. It had always been one of the many reasons he liked Stiles. Always good to have someone around to keep everyone on their toes.

The rest of the day was perfect. They ate, played, and ran themselves ragged. By the time the sun was setting Emily was already asleep in Peter's arms and clutching a stuffed wolf that Lydia had bought her as a sort of joke. She had gone a bit further when she had removed the black glass eyes and replaced them with blue marbles. While Emily was cheering and showing it off everyone was trying not to laugh at the look of shock on Peter's face.

As he tucked her in that night he just couldn't help but stare at her sleeping face. She was his little pup, his most precious thing. And as long as she was part of the pack, he was sure everything would work out well. If didn't matter what happened to him from this day forward, as long as Emily was safe. And he was sure everyone else felt that way too.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been 2 weeks since the Pack picnic when Peter woke at 3 AM to someone knocking softly on the door. Normally someone would knock hard so early, to wake up whoever lived there. The only reason for someone to knock like that was if they knew a werewolf would hear it. He put on some pants over his boxers, forgoing a shirt, and went to answer the door. He expected Derek, maybe Scott, but not who stood there.

"Stiles?" Peter was surprised to see the young man. Even more surprised to smell tears and fear all over the young man. He stepped back and reached out to take the boy's shoulder to usher him inside, "Whats wrong? Is everyone alright?" he kept his voice low but serious, not wanting to wake Emily.

Stiles nodded and let himself be led to the couch, "Everyone's fine. It's just, the other week, you..."

Peter just nodded when Stiles trailed off. He remembered the conversation with the clearly stressed out young man. And obviously, the teen was taking him up on the offer. If Peter had to guess, he would say Stiles had had a nightmare. He quickly rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He knew Stiles wasn't of age, but he also knew that most teenagers drank. And Stiles looked like he could use a drink right now.

When he put the bottle and tumblers on the coffee table Stiles let out a hollow chuckle, "Why do you even have that? You can't get drunk."

"I like the taste." Peter said simply with a shrug as he poured a finger for himself and a double for Stiles. He handed the young man the drink and was unsurprised when Stiles drank it all in one go before handing back the glass for a refill, "That bad?" Peter asked as he poured another drink

"Worst one so far." Stiles said, "I have bad dreams all the time, hazard of the life I live." he took a sip of the new drink

"I can understand that. I have a few myself from time to time." Peter admitted

"Time to time? I would think, with what you went through, you had them every night." Stiles leaned back into the couch, the alcohol clearly starting to relax him

"It used to be that way, for a long time." Peter admitted. He knew the key to helping Stiles with his problems was to share a few of his own, "But I haven't had one in several weeks."

"Since Emily." Stiles stated, not even sounding like he guessed

"Indeed." They sat in silence until both Peter and Stiles had finished their drinks and gotten new ones, "What was it about Stiles? Why was this one so different?"

Stiles sighed, "Well, normally, it's just me who gets hurt or chased or trapped or whatever." he waved his hand to indicate 'whatever', "But since the Alpha Pack thing, and my dad getting taken, it's about other people getting hurt, sometimes eaten." he shivered, "But tonight..." he took another sip, "Oh God, Peter, it was Emily."

Peter sat up straight and moved a bit closer to Stiles on the couch, "Stiles, what did you see?" he really didn't want to hear what could have made the boy so upset, especially if it had to do with his pup, but he needed to hear it. And Stiles needed to say it. It wasn't just something stupid that parents told their kids, it really did help to talk about your dreams.

Stiles closed his eyes and said in a shaky voice, "It was dark, like a basement or something. I was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. And there were these guys there, Hunters from Gerard's crew. The same ones who took me that night we saved Jackson." he took a sip of his drink, "They were laughing, saying all of you were dead. Saying they had even got Allison and Mr. Argent. That there were only two of us left." tears started to leak out of closed eyes, "And then I saw her." he sobbed slightly but forced the words out, "They had Emily, on the ground and bleeding, and they were just laughing. They told me how useless I was, how weak and stupid. That I couldn't even protect a child. And Emily was crying out my name, begging me to help her. She was crying and crying and screaming. And then there was a gun, and they...they..."

Peter didn't need to hear any more and gave into his instincts. He reached over and pulled Stiles into a hug. Because of the distance between them Stiles' face ended up on his chest, but the teen didn't seem to care. His arms latched around Peter's torso and he just cried into the older man's chest. Peter just held on tight, letting the teen get it all out. He felt a little sick himself at the description of the dream. And if this was the worst one, how bad had the others been? How long had this been going on and Stiles kept it to himself? How had none of them noticed any of this before? And then he thought back to all the interaction he had had with Stiles. All the way back to the night when Derek and Scott had gone to the bank vault to save Boyd and Erica.

_Stiles had been so tired when the pair of werewolves left that Peter had though the boy would drop to the floor at any second. But he had taken a pill bottle from his pocket and taken a few. Peter raised an eyebrow, "What are those?"_

_ "They're caffeine pills." Stiles said simply_

_ "Why would you take those? You look ready to drop as it is?" Peter asked, not really caring if he got an answer, it was just a way to pass the time_

_ "Because I don't want to miss anything. I want to be on my game." Stiles said while looking out the window_

_ Peter heard the teen's heart skip and was confused. Why would Stiles lie about that? But he shrugged it off because he really didn't care_

"You can't hold these things in anymore Stiles." Peter said as he rubbed the crying boy's back. He was now crying silently into Peter's chest, but his grip around the older man was still strong, "If you have any more bad dreams, I want you to tell me about them. Day or night, you call me whenever you need to talk. And I want you to spend more time with me and Emily. She helped me move on, maybe she can help you as well."

Stiles pulled back then, scrubbing at his eyes with his sleeve, "I...yeah, alright." he reached over to his drink and downed the last of it.

Peter could tell the alcohol was starting to really take effect by the way Stiles was leaning to the right. Peter just smiled as he applied slight pressure to Stiles left shoulder and the boy flopped sideways down on the couch, legs still hanging over the edge. Stiles just made a small muffled yelp but didn't make a move to get up. Peter sighed, reached down, and removed the teens shoes before bring his legs up to take up the rest of the couch. He went to the hall closet and got a spare blanket before returning to the living room. Stiles was out cold by the time he got there so he simply covered him with the blanket and returned the liquor to the highest shelf in the kitchen. He took a moment to watch the young man sleeping peacefully before returning to bed.

Stiles slowly came back to the waking world. He felt strangely rested and warm. He snuggled deeper into the blanket covering him and reached up to pull his pillow closer to his head. He snuggled into the pillow and let out a happy sort of groan, enjoying the waking glow. He froze when as soon as he groaned he heard a small giggle. A very familiar giggle. His eyes snapped open to see Emily watching him from where she was perched on a coffee table. She was still in her pajamas and holding a stuffed wolf. She was giggling into her free hand and was looking right at him.

Stiles let out a surprised noise that would have been better placed coming from a little girl and flailed so badly that he fell off the couch he was on with a heavy sounding thump. He stayed there for a few moments, letting his memories of the night before come back to him. As soon as he remembered everything he heard a deep chuckle. He looked up from where he lay to see Peter had joined Emily in watching Stiles. He however, unlike Emily, was fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, "Sleep well?" Peter asked with a smirk but there was real concern in his blue eyes

Stiles let out a derisive snort and clambered to his feet, then he actually thought about the question. He realized he had not had a single dream once he had passed out on the couch and smiled genuinely at Peter, "Better then I have in weeks."

"Good." Peter picked up Emily and tossed the young girl over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, causing her to squeal and giggle, "Care to join us for breakfast?"

"Sure." Stiles rushed after the pair, making faces at Emily as she was carried by Peter. Breakfast was a happy affair and when it was over Peter showed Stiles to the door. Stiles just looked at his shoes, half out the door. He took a deep breath before turning to Peter and saying quickly, "Thank you for last night."

Peter chuckled and smiled in a way Stiles was sure very few people ever saw anymore, "Anytime you need it Stiles. We're pack."

And those two words alone made Stiles feel about 100 pounds lighter. He smiled back and nodded, "I'll see you later then."

"Bye Stiles." Came a yell from inside the apartment

"Bye Emily." Stiles called back before leaving without another word.

Peter looked at the closed door for a few more seconds before going to join Emily in the living room. He had just sat down to join her watching cartoons when a bone chilling howl filled the air. It was quickly followed by scream of pain from the street. Peter was moving before he even knew it. He quickly picked up Emily and ran to her room. He put her on the bed and told her to stay there before going into the kitchen to get a bag of salt he had bought after he had helped Isaac so long ago. The Hell Hound had been quiet for weeks, clearly waiting for something. It seemed it was back to find that something. He rushed back to Emily's room and covered the window pane with salt before doing the same in front of the door. He put the salt down inside her room and went to her, "Emily, I have to go. You need to stay here, alright? Promise that you won't leave this room until I get back."

Emily seemed to understand that something was wrong and screwed her face into a serious expression and nodded, "Alright." she reached out and took one of his hands, "Careful Peter."

He winked, "Always am pup." he then rushed from the apartment and down to the street. HE was met with the sight of Stiles trying to stop a woman's leg from bleeding.

He spotted Peter and pointed down the street, "It went that way. Bit ugly black thing."

"Got it." Peter said simply, "Call the others, someone needs to check on Emily when they get here. I'm going after it."

Little did Peter or Stiles know, that was the last time anyone would see Peter for a full week.


	7. Chapter 7

Emily stared at her closed bedroom door. According to her clock it had only been about 15 minutes, but it felt like hours already. She was shaking with fear and felt hot tears running down her face no matter how hard she tried to keep them in. In her hands was the stuffed wolf that had become her favorite toy. She held it tightly to her chest, as if to use it to shield from any intrusion. She had heard sirens and screaming from outside. And Peter had seemed so worried, even afraid. She looked at the clock again and whimpered to see only a few more minutes had passed.

Then, there was a loud bang out in the main area of the apartment. For a moment Emily thought that whatever was out there had managed to find her. And then she heard a familiar voice call out her name, "Emily, where are you?"

"Uncle Derek." she called out, her voice shaking and quiet, unable to yell around her fear and tears

Suddenly her bedroom door was thrown open and there stood Derek. Emily jumped off the bed and straight at Derek. Derek caught her mid jump and held her close. His hands ran through her hair and over her back in a soothing manner as he held her close and whispered into her ear, "Shh, it's alright. Everything is alright Emily, your safe. We won't let anything touch you."

Another hand made it's way to Emily's back and she looked up to see Isaac giving her a wide smile, "Hey shrimp. It's alright. Anything tries to hurt you and I'll squish it flat like a pancake."

Emily let out a watery sounding giggle and nodded while trying to wipe all her tears away, "Peter's gone." she whimpered

* * *

Derek nodded and handed her to Isaac, "I know Emily. But don't worry, I'm going after him right now. Isaac is going to stay here with you alright?" Emily nodded and Derek patted her head, "Thats a good girl. I'll be back as soon as I can." And then he was gone

Isaac looked down at the sad girl in his arms and smiled, "Hey, Emily, do you know how to play cards?" Emily shook her head no, "I'm gonna teach you how to play Poker."

About half an hour later Stiles arrived in the apartment, his clothing changed and he smelled like a hospital. Isaac assumed it was because he had taken the woman to the hospital and then changed out of his bloody clothing. But Isaac only focused on that for a moment as Emily put her cards down and let out a giggle.

Isaac groaned "Again, seriously?"

Emily just nodded and held out her hands, "Pay up Isaac."

Stiles chuckled, "What is going on in here?"

"We're playing Poker." Emily answered, "I'm really good, right Isaac?"

Isaac handed over a bite sized Snickers bar from a bag and nodded with a frown, "Yeah, a little to good. Are you sure you've never played this game before?"

Emily nodded, "Never. But it's so much fun."

"Your getting your butt handed to you by a 7 year old?" Stiles asked around laughter that Isaac was trying to ignore

Emily frowned and stuck out her tongue before correcting Stiles, "7 and 3/4ths."

"Sorry, my bad." Stiles apologized before taking a seat beside them ,"Let's see how bad you really are kid."

Isaac would have taken great pleasure in the fact that Emily kicked Stiles ass at cards if it didn't also mean he was getting beaten as well. He was really impressed with the shrimp, she could play. After another hour Emily had the whole bag of candy and had started taking whatever loos change he and Stiles had. That is when he got a text from Derek that changed everything.

_Peter's trail went cold. He's gone, and so is the Hound. Pack Emily a bag and have her stay with Stiles._

Isaac felt like ice had just filled his stomach and chest. Peter was missing, and they were going to have to tell Emily. Isaac knew that Derek wouldn't give up looking, if not for Peter's sake then for Emily's. And he decided that as soon as Emily was at Stiles place he would join the search.

He looked over at Stiles and Emily. Emily was laughing while Stiles made funny faces at his cards. He felt like such an asshole for having to ruin such a wonderful moment. He took a deep breath, "Emily, you need to pack a bag."

The room suddenly became tense and Emily looked confused, "Why?"

"Because you need to stay with Stiles for a while." Isaac said with a significant look at Stiles. Clearly Stiles understood something was wrong because he stood and pulled out his phone to call his dad

"But...why?" Emily looked a bit afraid now

"Peter is...we can't..." Isaac sighed and decided to rip off the band-aid, "He's missing Emily. But we're going to find him. We just want you safe until we can find him so you have to stay with Stiles."

Emily's eyes were suddenly shining with tears that quickly flew down her cheeks, "What? But he said he would be careful. He said he would never leave me."

Isaac quickly pulled Emily to him and held her tight, "Emily, it's going to be alright. We'll find him. He won't leave you, you know that. It's just, sometimes, things happen that we don't like. But I promise you we will find him, I promise. But until then, you have to be a good girl. Wouldn't Peter want you to be a big, brave girl?"

Emily nodded and sniffed before pulling away. Her face was screwed into a serious expression, clearly trying to hide her feelings and be a brave girl, "Alright. I'll go pack." and she was rushing down the hallway to her room.

Peter was brought back to the waking world with a sudden flash of pain. He let out a yell of surprise as he tried to move away from the source of his pain. But he was hindered by the fact that he appeared to be restrained somehow. But he couldn't really process any new information other then the pain running through his body. When it finally stopped he let his body relax and tried to remember what had happened to him. He had been chasing the Hound after it attacked someone out in front of his building. He had followed if several blocks before it led him into a dead end alley. And at the end of the alley had been the Hound. It was laying at the feet of an unfamiliar woman. He saw her long enough to recognize an evil smirk forming on her lips before his world went black as he was struck from behind by something.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a snapping sound right in front of his face. He snapped open his eyes and saw a hand retreating away from his view. And now that his eyes are open he can see his situation. He's been chained to a wall, but there are no chains to give slack. He's shirtless but he thanks God for small favors that his pants and shoes remain. He appears to be in some sort of basement that has walls covered in sound proof padding. And there goes any hope of howling for the Pack. The room is well lit and completely empty except for a small table off to the side that is covered in a black cloth, blocking whatever is on it from view. And then there is the woman standing near him.

She looks like she might be in her early twenties. Her skin isn't pale, but it isn't tan either. Her hair is dark brown, long, and curling at the ends. She is just a bit taller then him as well. She wears simple jeans and a t-shirt with a band logo on it that Peter isn't familiar with. Her nails are painted a deep purple and Peter only notices this because she has a single finger placed over her lips that are curled up in a smile that gives him shivers, and not in a good way. Her eyes are raking over his body, but not in a sexual way. It's more the way a hunter would look at it's kill, thinking about where to start skinning it.

He says nothing, waiting for the woman to speak. But instead of speaking she just lets out a giggle that would be more at home in a small child, she even hops a little in pure glee. Then she reaches out to something on the wall, a button that looks out of place. She pushes it and suddenly the pain is back. He lets out another yell as the sudden pain takes him by surprise. He realizes what is happening now. Somehow she had the cuffs attached to an electrical current that she controls with that damn button. And it really really hurts. And then once again the pain is gone and he glares at this mystery woman. He takes a sniff of the air and is surprised when he doesn't smell any gun oil or Wolfsbane. So she can't be a hunter. And what the hell was up with the Hell Hound anyway? How could she control one like that unless...

"Your a witch." he says simply

She cackles then and nods, "Got it in one Peter, very good." she winks, "Always knew you were a clever boy."

He smirks, "Oh, you have no idea. Forgive me, but you have me at a disadvantage. I don't know your name while you seem to know mine."

She suddenly looks genuinely shocked, "Really, I didn't introduce myself?" Peter just shakes his head no and the young woman smacks the side of her head lightly, "Sorry, I always forget to do that." she give that same shiver inducing grin and says, "Savanna Short, nice to meet you."

"Wish I could say the same." Peter says simply as he glances obviously at his cuffed hands and ankles

She frowns a bit then, "Yeah, sorry about that. But orders are orders you know?" she shrugs and walks over to the mysterious table at the other end of the room

"Orders?" Peter asks

She turns half way across the room, giving him a wide eyed look, "Don't tell me you don't know whats going on!?" Peter just shakes his head and she sighed, "Damn, now I have to explain everything before I get to the fun part." she walks back over to stand in front of him and looks him straight in the eye, "Your very special Peter."

Peter chuckles and looks her right in the eye as well, "I always thought so."

"Well, yeah." she rolls her eyes, "Star athlete, perfect grades in school, hot as Hell, and a werewolf to boot. But your more then that Peter." she leans in until their literally nose to nose, "Your alive for the second time. And that means something very special." she moves back and points to the ceiling.

Peter looks up and feels his blood freeze in his veins. There is a spell circle painted in what he knows is blood on the ceiling. It's glowing slightly, just enough to notice it. So clearly the spell is active. And suddenly, it all clicks in his head that he knows this circle. It's a way to collect pain and suffering for a spell. He doesn't know the spell, but he knows how this works. His gaze goes from the ceiling to the mystery table and suddenly he never wants to see whats on it.

Savanna keeps talking while he is doing this, "There is a spell that only a very powerful witch can do. But it's really hard to get the ingredients for it, so it hasn't been done in a long time. Like, hundreds and hundreds of years. Matthew got everything he needed. It took him 5 years, but he got it. Everything except something really special." she grins again, all teeth and wicked glee, "The pain of a twice born." she frowned again and Peter was now convinced that this young woman was 100% insane, "But it's really hard to find a twice born. And even then, the amount of pain required for the spell is so immense that it kills most of them before the spell gets enough juice. And then you have to start all over. It's super frustrating."

Peter just glares, "I can imagine."

She nods and smiles, "I knew you would. But you see, thats what makes you so special. Because you heal, werewolf powers and everything. So you can survive the process. Granted, it takes twice as long to do because of that, but it will be worth it." she gets a dreamy look on her face and lets out a contented sigh, "In 8 days, when we've gathered enough pain, we'll do the spell. And then, me and Matthew will be together forever. Eternally young and unkillable." she hugs herself and gives out a pleasurable moan, "It will be wonderful."

Peter blinked, "Your doing all of this just so you and your boyfriend can live forever?" he was well and truly shocked, "You sent that Hell Hound here weeks ago. It attacked my pack and nearly killed one of them. It's been weeks since then." Peter really didn't understand what was happening, it was crazy, "Why did you wait so long?"

"Well, thats easy." Savanna said, "We wanted to get you away from the brat. I mean, we didn't need her. But man, you never leave her side do you. And if your not with her your with the Pack. So we waited until there was a reason for you to leave her alone. And what better reason then to have one of your Pack in possible danger near your house. It's logic really. You would hear all the fuss outside, lock up the brat somewhere safe, and then come running to help. And of course, can't leave a threat like that roaming the streets. So you follow it..."

"Straight to you." Peter whispered in shock. This whole thing was meticulously planed so that nothing was left to chance. No one had seen either Savanna or this Matthew guy. Peter had run off on his own and been taken. No one would know where he went because he was sure anyone this smart wouldn't leave a trace for anyone to track. More then likely, no one would find him in time to stop the spell from happening. And if this Matthew was as powerful and crazy as his girlfriend, the world was going to be in really big trouble. Not to mention they were likely to get rid of him as soon as the spell was over.

"Oh, I really wish I didn't have to do this." Savanna sighed, "You seem like a really nice guy." she literally skipped over to the table and ripped the cloth off and grabbed something at random. She turned around and had a smile that looked like she was about to devour him whole. In her hands was a nasty looking tire iron that had a few old blood stains already on it, "But it has to be done. And I'm not going to lie, this is gonna be fun for me."


End file.
